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Alberto Giacometti Art

Swiss, 1901-1966

Alberto Giacometti was a painter, printmaker and furniture designer but he is best known as one of the 20th century’s most important sculptors. He is revered for the elongated, slender human figures he created in the years following World War II that reflected existentialism and the trauma associated with the conflict.

Giacometti was born in Borgonovo, Switzerland, in 1901 to a creative family. His father Giovanni was a Post-Impressionist painter, his godfather Cuno Amiet was a Fauvist painter, his brother Bruno was an architect, and his other brother Diego was an artist and furniture designer who also served as Giacometti’s model. (The sculptor worked chiefly with models plucked from his personal life.)

Beginning in 1922, Giacometti studied at the Académie de la Grande-Chaumière in Paris and was influenced by the Cubist work of Alexander Archipenko, Raymond Duchamp-Villon and the post-Cubist sculptures of Jacques Lipchitz and Henri Laurens.

During the 1930s, Giacometti designed furniture such as lamps, vases and wall décor to earn a living, often collaborating with interior designer Jean-Michel Frank, whose interiors tastefully mixed extravagance with sophisticated simplicity. However, Giacometti’s passion lay in creating sculptures.

Alberto and his brother Diego left Paris in 1940 to escape the Nazi invasion and spent time in the South of France before fleeing to Geneva, remaining there until 1946. In 1947, Giacometti began work on his most famous sculptures — very tall and thin figurines that came to be associated with frailty and loneliness.

Giacometti catapulted to fame in the United States following two exhibitions of his sculptures in 1948 and 1950 at the Pierre Matisse Gallery in New York City — Jean-Paul Sartre authored the catalogue essay for the latter. In 1961, Giacometti’s friend, Irish playwright Samuel Beckett, asked him to design the set for a re-staging of his play “Waiting for Godot.” His response took on the form of a single plaster tree.

In 1962, Giacometti won the grand prize for sculpture at the Venice Biennale, and for much of the rest of his career, he created modern paintings, drawings and sculptures of plaster, clay and bronze in his small Paris studio. He died in 1966.

Giacometti’s works continue to enthrall collectors. In 2010, his life-size bronze sculpture L'Homme qui marche (“the man who walks”), which now adorns the 100 Swiss Franc banknote, became one of the most expensive sculptures to be sold at auction.

On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage Alberto Giacometti wall decorations, prints and sculptures.

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Annette Facing Front
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Alberto Giacometti Title: Annette Facing Front Portfolio: Derriere le Miroir Tenth Anniversary Edition Medium: Etching Date: 1956 Edition: 2000 Frame Size: 19 1/2" x 14 1/4" ...
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1950s Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Etching

Mother - Original Lithograph, 1956
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Paris, FR
Alberto Giacometti Mother, 1956 Original lithograph On wove paper 31.5 x 24.5 cm (c. 12.4 x 9.6 inches) Edited by San Lazaro in 1956 Excellent condition
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1950s Modern Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

Alberto Giacometti -- Small Standing Nude
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in BRUCE, ACT
Alberto Giacometti (Swiss, 1901 - 1966) Small Standing Nude, 1959 Etching on paper Edition: 47/50 Hand signed and numbered below the image Image size 15.0 x 8.0 cm Frame size 42.5 x...
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1950s Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Etching

original lithograph
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Catalogue reference: Lust 100. Printed for Derriere le Miroir (issue number 98) and published in Paris in 1957 by Maeght. Sheet size: 15 x 22 inches. The...
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1950s Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

Rockefeller Collection's Bronze Lamps Set Based on Giacometti's 'Tête de Femme'
By Alberto Giacometti, Diego Giacometti, Alberto and Diego Giacometti
Located in North Miami, FL
Pair of Expressionist patinated bronze table lamps based on Giacometti's 'Tête de Femme' (Head of a Woman) from the Rockefeller Collection By: ...
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Late 20th Century American Expressionist Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Metal, Bronze, Copper

Alberto Giacometti Mid Century Modern The Search Collectors Guild Etching 20"
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Dayton, OH
1960's original etching of "The Search" by Alberto Giacometti. The Collector's Guild Ltd. Certificate of Authenticty attached to back of frame. Plain wood frame with slightly raised bevel; no mat. "Alberto Giacometti (October 10, 1901-January 11, 1966) - The son of Swiss impressionist painter Giovanni Giacometti, he was born in Stampa in the Bregaglia Valley. He displayed a talent for painting art and sculpture at an early age and with his father's guidance he made his earliest drawings, paintings and sculpture using his family for models. By age ten he had progressed from a simple illustration of Snow White to a detailed copy of Rembrandt's Good Samaritan. His first bust, made when he was just thirteen, was of his younger brother, Diego, who would become his lifelong assistant. Alberto spent six months when he was eighteen as a student at the Ecole Des Arts et Metiers in Geneva. He visited Venice with his father where he first experienced paintings by Tintoretto. He stayed a short period in Italy, where he studied Byzantine Mosaics and Baroque architecture. On the way home they visited a church in Padua filled with frescoes by Giotto where he had his first experience with an almost hallucinatory vision giving him a challenge to portray the world according to his own desires rather than the conventional ones. He went to Paris in 1922 to study with Rodin's pupil Bourdelle and settled in the tiny Montparnasse studio where he worked the rest of his life. He allied with the surrealists, until he wearied of creating what he called "these mental reconstructions." He sought, through his sculpture, to probe for the essence of life, but was never satisfied with the search. During this period he started the usual figures and busts at typical sizes and after several months of work the figures had shrunk to the size of a pin. One of the great bohemians, Giacometti loved to haunt cafes until late at night. His dingy studio, lit by a dusty studio window and bare light bulbs, heated by a potbellied stove, was strewn with cigarette butts. He traveled little, except to Switzerland at Christmas and New Years. He left Paris in December 1941 for Switzerland, but Diego stayed behind in Paris to take care of the studio. Giacometti's extremely personal conception of space and figuration matured after the Second World War and he developed still further his elongated and isolated figures with a suggestion of existentialist tragedy, skeletal and emaciated groups which created their own spatial environment in a unique way. Between 1940 and 1945 he produced works on a miniature scale which nevertheless created a symbolic impression of magnitude. It was during the years in Geneva that he met Annette Arm. She moved in with him and abided by his request that she not change the way he lived. She became his model, his muse and after a few years, his wife. He continued to make nocturnal visits to cafes and to use prostitutes for his models. His personal life has been described (perhaps wrongly) as dealing with impotence, a foot fetish...
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1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alberto Giacometti Art

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Paper

"Objets mobiles et muet" original lithograph
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Catalogue reference: Lust 1. Executed in 1931, this is the first lithograph created by Giacometti. This impression is from the second edition, printed in...
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1950s Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

Alberto Giacometti Lithograph Dessin 1, Circa 1960
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Rochester, NY
After Alberto Giacometti - Dessin 1 - large format lithograph on rag paper in period giltwood frame under glass ( original old framers label on back - Empire Artist's Materials / 831...
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1960s Expressionist Vintage Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Glass, Giltwood, Paper

Giacometti Manner Gold-Tone Metal Door Handles, 5
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in New York, NY
Five gold-tone metal door handles of branch-form and in the manner of Alberto Giacometti (Swiss, 1901-1966). 1.5" H x 4.75" W x 8" D.
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20th Century Modern Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Metal

Alberto Giacometti Framed Black and White Limited Lithograph "Annette", 1964
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Studio City, CA
A wonderful sketched lithograph by famed Swiss artists/sculptor Alberto Giacometti. The lithograph was printed in Paris by Mourlot Freres in 1964 and was issued in an edition of ...
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1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alberto Giacometti Art

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Paper

"L'Arbre" original lithograph
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original color lithograph. Printed in 1952 for the art revue Verve (Volume 7, Number 27-28) and published in Paris by Teriade. Size: 13 7/8 x 10 3/8 inches (353 x 263 mm). There is a black and white original Giacometti lithograph...
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1950s Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Annette, " by Alberto Giacometti
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Annette" is an original black and white lithograph by Alberto Giacometti. It depicts the bust of a nude woman in scratchy lines. Annette was Alberto's wife and frequently modeled fo...
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1960s Minimalist Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

Alberto Giacometti 'Annette' Black and White Lithograph, circa 1964
By Mourlot, Alberto Giacometti
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Lithograph 'Anette' made by Alberto Giacometti. Especially created by the artist in 1964 for Made for the book titled "Prints from the Mourlot Press" published in Paris, 1964 The b...
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1960s French Modern Vintage Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Paper

original lithograph
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Printed in 1961 for the art revue Derriere le Miroir (issue number 127) and published in Paris by Maeght. Size: 15 x 11 inches (379 x 278 mm). There is p...
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1960s Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

original lithograph
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Executed for Derriere le Miroir (No. 148) in 1964, and published in Paris by Maeght. This lithograph was published on the occasion of the inauguration of...
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1960s Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

Homme Assis et Personnage - Pencil Drawing by A. Giacometti - 1953
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Roma, IT
Homme assis et personnage is a pencil drawing realized by Alberto Giacometti on a page of Louis Guilloux's "La merveille", published in "Les Lettres Nouvelles", n°7, septembre 1953, p. 779. Giacometti sketched a male portrait in his typical style. The man is in profile and on the right side of the page there is a small study of a standing figure. Following Fondation Giacometti, it was realized by the author on September 1953. As James Lord...
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1950s Contemporary Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Pencil

Alberto Giacometti after "Caroline" Offset Print, 1965
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Vienna, AT
Print by Alberto Giacometti (Swiss, 1901-1966) titled "Caroline". The figure's formality and disproportionately small head are hallmark characteristics of Alberto Giacometti's portr...
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1960s Swiss Vintage Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Paper

Selection of Modernist Lithographs or Gallery Wall
By (after) Joan Miró, Alberto Giacometti
Located in Atlanta, GA
Selection of modernist lithographs or gallery wall, French, circa 1960s. From top left to right, they are: 1) Joan Miro color lithograph, from Derriere Le Miroir, circa 1960s. Seen at upper left. It measures 18.5" H x 25.5" W framed. Newly framed in clean lined black lacquer gallery frame under conservation grade glass. 2) SOLD Alberto Giacometti lithograph...
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1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Glass, Paper, Wood

Alberto Giacometti 'Annette De Face' Etching, 1955
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Wonderful etching 'Annette De Face' by Alberto Giacometti in 1955, original black and white etching, framed with matte behind glass. This is an unsigned, unnumbered impression from t...
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1950s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage Alberto Giacometti Art

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Paper

Paris sans fin
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in London, GB
First edition, from the edition of 250 copies on Vélin d’Arches from a total edition of 270; large 4to (42.2 x 32 cm); artist’s signature stamp to limitation page, 150 lithographs after Giacometti, loose as issued in publisher's printed wrappers, glassine wrappers, cloth chemise and slipcase. Giacometti’s testament to art and modern life in his beloved Paris. For Tériade it would be a milestone, the last great publication he would see through the press. The two men [Tériade and Giacometti] had maintained a close friendship ever since the Surrealist Years. The one hundred and fifty lithographs are a profoundly interpenetrating view of Giacometti's experience of Paris. He selected the plates to be printed and determined the order of their relationship, numbering each one. The frontispiece shows a nude figure of a woman plunging forward, as though diving into space, and is immediately followed by a quantity of views of city streets, then of interiors familiar to the artist. We come upon views of his studio, of the cafes he frequented, of Annette's apartment in the rue Mazarine and Caroline's in the Avenue du Maine, strangers at cafe tables, passers by, parked automobiles, the towers of Saint-Suplice, bridges across the Seine, The Eiffel Tower. To accompany the hundred and fifty plates, a text of twenty pages was planned, but the artist never got further than a few rough drafts. True, he was a devotee of words, Paris sans fin, however, said too much to the eye to be in need of other symbols (James Lord...
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1960s Art Nouveau Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

The Pointing Man, in the Studio L’homme qui pointe dans l’atelier - Swiss Art
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in London, GB
ALBERTO GIACOMETTI 1901-1966 Borgonovo 1901-1966 Chur, Switzerland (Swiss) Title: The Pointing Man, in the Studio L’homme qui pointe dans l’atelier, 1951 Technique: Original Hand ...
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1950s Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

Studio with the Stove - Original Etching, 1956
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Paris, FR
Alberto GIACOMETTI Studio with the Stove, 1956 Original etching On Arches vellum 32.5 x 25 cm (c. 13 x 10 inches) REFERENCES: - Eberhard W. Kornfeld et la Fondation Giacometti...
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1950s Modern Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Etching

The Charcoal Stove - Original Etching, 1956
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Paris, FR
Alberto GIACOMETTI The Charcoal Stove, 1956 Original etching On Arches vellum 38.5 x 28 cm (c. 15 x 11 inches) In very good condition
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1950s Modern Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Etching

Alberto Giacometti - Portrait
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Alberto Giacometti - Portrait Engraving (after the drawing) Published in the deluxe art review, XXe Siecle 1956 Dimensions: 32 x 24 cm Publisher: G. di San Lazzaro. From the art Re...
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1950s Modern Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Engraving

Derrière Le Miroir - Lithograph by Alberto Giacometti - 1961
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Roma, IT
Derriere Le Miroir is a suite of original lithographs realized by Alberto Giacometti in 1961. The artwork is an interesting edition of the French art periodical “Derriere Le Miroir”...
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1960s Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

Alberto Giacometti - Original Lithograph
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Alberto Giacometti - Original Lithograph 1964 Dimensions: 38 x 28 cm From the journal Derrière le Miroir No. 148, 1964 Edition: Foundation Maeght at Saint Paul Alberto Giacometti...
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1960s Modern Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

Alberto Giacometti Figura
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Alberto Giacometti Title: Figura Portfolio: Derriere le Miroir 148 Medium: Lithograph Year: 1964 Edition: Unknown Sheet Size: 13" x 9" Signature: Unsigned
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1960s Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

Studio with the Turntable - Original Etching, 1964
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Paris, FR
Alberto GIACOMETTI Studio with the Turntable, 1964 Original etching On Arches vellum 56.5 x 38 cm (c. 22.2 x 15 inches) REFERENCES: - Eberhard W. Kornfeld et la Fondation Giac...
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1960s Modern Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Etching

Nude with Flowers Nu aux fleurs - Italian Art, Swiss Artist, Scultural
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in London, GB
ALBERTO GIACOMETTI 1901-1966 Borgonovo 1901-1966 Chur, Switzerland (Swiss) Title: Nude with Flowers Nu aux fleurs, 1960 Technique: Original Hand Signed and Numbered Lithograph on ...
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1960s Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Annette, " Original Black and White Lithograph Portrait by Alberto Giacometti
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Annette" is an original black and white lithograph by Alberto Giacometti. It features the nude torso of a woman in an interior. lithograph in black on Rives wove paper 10" x 7 1/2...
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1960s Modern Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

SCULPTURES DANS L'ATELIER
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Aventura, FL
Hand signed and numbered by the artist. Etching on wove paper. Lust 185. Published by Galerie Beyeler, Basel. Edition 52/150. Artwork is in overall excellent condition. White spot...
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1960s Expressionist Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Paper, Etching

"Nu Assis, " an Original Lithograph signed by Alberto Giacometti
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Milwaukee, WI
Alberto Giacometti's "Nu Assis", seated nude, is an original lithograph numbered 40 of 75. It is from 1961 and is signed lower right. 22" x 30" art 31 1/4" x 39 1/4" framed "Alber...
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1960s Expressionist Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

original lithograph
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Printed in 1961 for the art revue Derriere le Miroir (issue number 127) and published in Paris by Maeght. Size: 15 x 11 inches (379 x 278 mm). There is p...
Category

1960s Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

original lithograph
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Printed in 1961 for the art revue Derriere le Miroir (issue number 127) and published in Paris by Maeght. Size: 15 x 11 inches (379 x 278 mm). There is p...
Category

1960s Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph

Portrait of Iliazd
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Signed by the artist lower right, from Les Douze Portraits du célèbre Orbandale
Category

20th Century Modern Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Etching

L'HOMME QUI MARCHE (WALKING MAN)
By Alberto Giacometti
Located in Aventura, FL
Hand signed and numbered in pencil. Edition of 200 on Arches. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of Authenticity is included. Additional images are available upon request...
Category

1950s Expressionist Alberto Giacometti Art

Materials

Lithograph, Paper

Alberto Giacometti art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Alberto Giacometti art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Alberto Giacometti in lithograph, etching, paper and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Alberto Giacometti art, so small editions measuring 4 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of John Baldessari, Fernandez Arman, and Ger Doornink. Alberto Giacometti art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $100 and tops out at $70,894, while the average work can sell for $5,000.

Artists Similar to Alberto Giacometti

Questions About Alberto Giacometti Art
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Alberto Giacometti is most famous for his sculptures depicting human figures in an iconic tall, thin style. Influenced by Surrealism and Cubism, his style also sought to invoke a sense of distance in the viewer. On 1stDibs, find an array of beautiful Alberto Giacometti pieces from some of the top sellers around the world.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Alberto Giacometti worked with clay or plaster to form and shape his sculptures. Once they were completed, many of them were cast in bronze. He enjoyed experimenting with different styles, materials and approaches. While you’ll find a lot of bronze sculptures, there are other works of art that include plaster, clay and paint in his collections. Shop a selection of Alberto Giacometti pieces from some of the world’s top art dealers on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Alberto Giacometti is a Swiss sculptor, painter and printmaker, working mainly in Paris. His work was influenced by the cubism, surrealist and expressionist movements. Shop a selection of Alberto Giacometti pieces from some of the world’s top art dealers on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Alberto Giacometti made hundreds of sculptures out of a variety of materials. Some of his most frequently used ones were plaster, wood and terracotta, but he is perhaps best known for his bronze sculptures. On 1stDibs, find a collection of Alberto Giacometti art.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMay 3, 2024
    For his drawings, Alberto Giacometti typically used pencil and paper as his materials. Less frequently, he drew with ink pens and charcoal. Although he is best known for his sculptures, the Italian artist was a prolific sketcher. In 1963, he published a collection of his drawings in a book called 45 Drawings. Explore a range of Alberto Giacometti art on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 21, 2024
    In his artwork, Alberto Giacometti tried to capture the energy of his figures as well as his own memories, emotional state and view of the world. He is revered for the elongated, slender human figures he created in the years following World War II that reflected existentialism and the trauma associated with the conflict. The very tall and thin figurines depicted in works like L’Homme au doigt, Standing Woman and The Chariot came to be associated with frailty and loneliness. On 1stDibs, shop an assortment of Alberto Giacometti art.

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